Are you using systems as scaffolding or a crutch?

One can learn much, by listening "behind" questions asked. 

One of my favorite questions is:
- "What system do you use?" or, "Is that ____?"
Just by listening to the intonation, you can spot whether it's a genuine question of curiosity and further education or the "What's you bench, man?" question, that indicates a lack of confidence and the need for self-affirmation.

Answer this one for YOURSELF (nobody's watching, nor will know what your HONEST answer is):
- Are YOU using systems as scaffolding or a crutch?

It's not as intuitive as it sounds.
It takes balls to dig deep, where darkness lurks, to the kingdom of the "other" part of you - that you (nor anybody) prefer not dealing with.

Any system is merely a door.
If you paid - a token of appreciation and honoring his work and effort - its creator, in contrast to stealing "free stuff" from the web, the system is YOURS to keep, use, modify, evolve, change, etc...

No need to tattoo logos on yourself, unless you treat yourself as someone else object and property, nor "being honored to become...." - man, you PAID for it, it's not that you were invited for YOUR OWN work and achievement...

Any system is a tool to use, not an ash urn to keep above the fireplace.
Acknowledging your teacher is humbling and behavior worth adopting, for it shows one's own confidence and inner peace.

When you arrive at THAT place, there's a next step to take -
Understanding the principles behind the system.
Digging even deeper into the universal laws of human mechanics and sir Newton's physics, evolving and eventually criticizing (if there's a case for) the system -from a colleague and diligent practitioner POV, eventually suggesting YOUR OWN version of it for others to follow.

It's all depends on how far down the rabbit hole you're willing to go...
And it all starts from a simple question you answered honestly to yourself:

- Are YOU using systems as scaffolding or a crutch?

Safe journey.